It may sound futuristic, and robotic surgery is in its infancy in the scheme of medical history. But it is hardly brand new to modern medicine, and CarolinaEast Medical Center has used a daVinci Robot to help with surgery since October 2010.

Representatives of Intuitive Surgical, Inc., with home offices in Sunnyville, Calif., which manufactures daVinci Surgical Systems in America, said there are currently 2,116 surgeons in the U.S. performing some daVinci robotic procedures and about 3,000 worldwide.

Many surgical procedures of various types have been done here robotically, said Megan McGarvey, head of CarolinaEast public information.

She is particularly pleased that the original da Vinci purchased by the hospital at a cost of about $1.5 million, could and has been upgraded to the next level of proficiency. It can now aid a physician in performing some surgeries through one incision.

It may sound futuristic, and robotic surgery is in its infancy in the scheme of medical history. But it is hardly brand new to modern medicine, and CarolinaEast Medical Center has used a daVinci Robot to help with surgery since October 2010.

Representatives of Intuitive Surgical, Inc., with home offices in Sunnyville, Calif., which manufactures daVinci Surgical Systems in America, said there are currently 2,116 surgeons in the U.S. performing some daVinci robotic procedures and about 3,000 worldwide.

Many surgical procedures of various types have been done here robotically, said Megan McGarvey, head of CarolinaEast public information.

She is particularly pleased that the original da Vinci purchased by the hospital at a cost of about $1.5 million, could and has been upgraded to the next level of proficiency. It can now aid a physician in performing some surgeries through one incision.

Dr. Rob Patterson Jr. of East Carolina Women’s Center is trained to use the robot, as are three other surgeons in the practice.

Patterson, who is the first trained to use its new single-site capability or third generation of daVinci here for hysterectomies, said, “We have done over 600 procedures now.”

The robot helps maximize a surgeons’ precision and minimizes required invasive cuts to get to the problem that needs to be fixed,” he said. “Instead of four little incisions, there is one 2.5 centimeter cut in which a port is inserted through which all the tools go.”

Previously, and still if a patient wishes or the procedure requires it, four or five small incisions were made, he said.

Otherwise, the most common minimally invasive surgery is laparoscopy. That uses a small camera inserted through a few small incisions to guide surgeons as they operate, rather than a traditional large open incision.

In both robotic procedures, “the robot docks by the table but the surgeon sits across the room and operates at a console,” Patterson said. “The surgeon is working from a screen which has the area magnified 10 times and is in 3-D. It takes all the tremor out of the hands and maximizes physical stamina. It’s much more comfortable.”

At the console cart Patterson uses both hands and feet to maneuver the surgical tools injected through the ports on a patient and the cart does everything he tells it to do while others monitor the patient directly and through a vision cart nearby.

Patterson said he said he has done three single site surgeries since the first in April and those making the choice to have only one incision through the belly button area are all pleased with the results.

Patterson said the average hysterectomy takes about 1 1/2 hours. He, as surgeon, operates daVinci. Another physician is directly with the patient. Regular operating room staff including a doctor to handle anesthesia are also present.

The robot replaces no one in the surgical process.

“The majority of patients go home sooner, in three to four days,” Patterson said.

He hopes the single-site method shortens recovery even more.

The about $30,000 cost of the robotic hysterectomy is about the same as traditional surgical methods.

But, McGarvey said, “If the average patient is back to work in a week, that’s a huge overall cost savings. The shortened hospital stay and recovery time is a great medical cost savings and savings to the patient because of lost wages and a much less painful recovery.”

Patterson said, “Some patients are not good candidates for this procedure.” That includes those who are obese and those who have had surgeries including caesarian section deliveries which have left a lot of scar tissue.

“Some people are afraid of the word ‘robot,’” he said. “Some are just not educated about it. But very few people, when sit down and explain it, go the old fashioned way.”